Come Away With Me
by Jacqi Kennedy
Summary: Bonnie and Damon have some time to reflect after their "deaths".
1. Prologue

Everyone was waiting.

Waiting for Elena to break, well more than she already had of course. They were waiting for her to turn her humanity off and forget that the love of her life and best friend were forever gone. Yet she didn't.

Instead she cleaned and baked and spent so much time with Caroline that the blond wanted to snap her neck, to gain at least a few hours of time to herself. But she sucked it up and told herself that it was Elena's way of grieving and that she was trying to be the best friend she hadn't been in years.

When Elena had suggested moving in with her, Caroline had thought it would be good for them both. That they could help one another deal with their mutual loss of Bonnie. After two weeks, Caroline was all cried out, yet Elena had yet to shed a single tear.

Jeremy had Tyler and Matt, who did their best to help the teen work through the death of his girlfriend. They spent the summer taking trips to the Gilbert family cabin, swimming in the lake, fishing and drinking. Every night Jeremy found himself on the dock, standing at the very edge, feeling the breeze in his hair and imagining that it was the slender fingers of the woman he loved.

The sound of the leaves rustling in the wind made him smile, thinking that it was his girlfriend making her way across the forest ground, coming to meet him, to wrap her tiny arms around his waist and whisper her love into his ear.

She never came.

He didn't want to think of her as being gone.

Nonexistent.

He didn't know where one went, once the afterlife was literally torn apart, so he remembered the times of when he was the only one to see her. When she had been only his.

He definitely didn't want to think of her somewhere lost and alone and definitely not lost and alone with just Damon.

Damon who had threatened all of their lives so many times, occasionally making those threats come true. He didn't want to think of Damon offering Bonnie up to whoever might be able to give him a chance to get back to Elena.

Jeremy knew that where ever she may be, she needed to be with someone who loved her and cherished her life as much as he did. Someone who would risk life and limb to keep her safe, make an ass of themselves to put a smile on her face and hold her when she felt lost and scared.

He should be the one with her, wherever she was and definitely not Damon Salvatore.

Speaking of Salvatore…

Stefan was gone.

Having lost his brother, Lexi and Bonnie, he'd blamed himself for all three of them being gone. He had had no intention of leaving the other side until he knew that they were all going to make it back. Yet his chivalrous ways made him act on pure instinct and grab Bonnie when he'd seen her stumble.

Although he and his brother had had their… disagreements throughout the years, he'd always had that reassurance that Damon was alive, somewhere. That no matter how much the world around him changed, he would always have his big brother.

That same big brother who'd helped him tie his shoes, taught him to throw a ball and had given him girl advice when he was a teen.

That same big brother who'd killed his oldest and dearest best friend, had taken his girlfriend and had made his life a living hell for decades.

That same big brother that, despite his fucked up way of showing it at times, loved him.

It was a hard fact to accept, so turning one's humanity off, did in fact help.

Alaric was pissed.

Pissed that everyone had seemingly given up so easily. Were so willing to accept the finality in Damon and Bonnie being gone. He tried to remind them all that Damon and Bonnie would have done anything and everything to bring them back and wouldn't have taken death and the other side collapsing as the end all, be all.

Yet the teens were caught up in their own emotions of being sad and trying to not get their hopes up because honestly, where do you start looking, when there is nothing to look for. When there is no known answer to the question. For what it's worth Caroline had tried to help Alaric over the duration of summer, following dead end leads, meeting hostile vampires and werewolves and occasionally getting hexed by witches.

After too close of a call, Caroline had decided to head home.

Fall was swiftly approaching, bringing along with it a new school year and she was going to be renting a bitching party house with Elena, Jeremy, Matt and Tyler near campus. It had been Elena's genius idea and although no one was truly okay with this arrangement, they went along with it because… it was for Elena.

They had tried to get Stefan to join them but he'd outright laughed in their faces and slammed the door when they had met at the boarding house. Normally they would have just walked inside instead of ringing the bell but since his brother's demise, Stefan had taken to locking his doors, sending the very clear message of 'You're not welcome here anymore'.

After a few more ambush visits, he decided that the best way to stop this from happening was to of course, pack a couple bags and leave town.

The school year started and slowly, with the help of their friends and their busy class schedules, Elena and Jeremy began to heal. Every weekend the two were throwing a party and word around campus quickly grew about the Gilbert siblings and their parties.

When Jeremy started bringing a cute red head to the house on a regular basis, Elena took him aside and asked 'do you think Bonnie would be okay with this, you moving on already', to which he responded 'what's the point of them sacrificing themselves for us to live, over and over again, if we don't'.

Elena was surprised at how easy it was to fall into bed with Enzo.

When winter break arrived, the friends decided that the Lockwood home would make for the perfect home base and again, great for party throwing.

It was during one of these parties that Caroline asked Matt to make a trip with her to Maryland the next day. He agreed, not asking her why but trusting her and wanting to help in any way that he could.

Abby Bennett was pissed that she was just now finding out about the death of her daughter, until she was thoroughly told off by Matt Donovan. He told her that she didn't deserve a daughter as brilliant and loyal as Bonnie and if she even cared or had ever loved her child, she'd do anything in her power to help bring her… and Damon (if she felt so inclined), back home.

A phone call and six hours later, the three were sharing dinner with Bonnie's cousin Lucy.

Thank God for Lucy.

She knew a warlock who knew everything supernatural and who was owed quite a few favors, by some of the best. She promised to try her best but gave no promises.

At the end of winter break, the gang headed back to school, back to what they now considered their normal lives.

Until, Liz Forbes called her daughter and told her and her friends to meet her at the Salvatore boarding house. Caroline gathered them around and told them that they had been summoned back to Mystic Falls, that maybe Stefan was finally home and back to being Stefan.

Matt and Jeremy chose not to join them, mortals and a possible Ripper Stefan didn't mix, plus an empty house and girlfriends were much more interesting.

So, Caroline, Elena and Tyler headed back to the troublesome town and to the property none of them had stepped foot on since Stefan took his leave.

The trio rushed into the home and to the parlor where they had spent so much time together. They were very much expecting to find Stefan and Liz waiting.

Yet they weren't prepared to see Liz and…

Bonnie and Damon, each with a rocks glass holding two fingers of whiskey, in their hands.

Damon smirked at the group and asked, "So, what's new?"


	2. The Perfect Spring Day

**The Perfect Spring Day (or the Vampire with the Worst Luck)**

I'm dreaming, was the first thought that came to Bonnie Bennett's mind.

She knew she had to be dreaming, must have dreamt the last year of her life, in order for her to even exist in this moment, to come to the conclusion that she was in fact dreaming.

It all hadn't been real.

Her death, being on the Other Side, coming back as the Anchor, everything dealing with Travelers, only to die again, as the Other Side fell apart before her eyes, with her fingers interlocked with Damon Salvatore's.

She willed her eyes to open, expecting to see that blinding light engulfing her, and Damon still at her side, but saw nothing of the sort, as she lay supine on her back, in a field of plush grass, staring at the sky. It was that gray shade that she loved, where you couldn't distinguish one cloud from another and it had that brightness given to it from a sun that was unseen.

The type of sky that you found in the spring, that made you wear those adorable rain boots and carry an umbrella in your purse, for a rain that never came, even when the air constantly had that scent of a storm coming.

Bonnie continued to lay, wiggling her fingers and tapping her toes together, just to be sure that she, herself, were real. When she was content that, yes she indeed were, she clambered to her feet, brushing some of the tiny blades of grass from her clothes.

A few yards away she spotted a road, on the other side of a row of trees. She made her way through until she stood on the deserted road, lined with trees on both sides. Looking both ways, she discovered that each route led to nothing, winding to the side and leaving their destination ambiguous.

A breeze blew from her left, making her hair flutter, tickling her chin and causing her to decide to follow it.

As she followed the road, she felt the magic buzzing through the air, yet didn't feel that magic inside of her. She knew that she was neither witch nor anchor and although the thought should have scared her, she felt nothing but relief. Relief that when she did find her friends, she could no longer be asked to risk her life or sanity to save others.

Yet it was so disconcerting to not know where she was. And by that, she didn't mean what state in the country but rather, if she were in the world of the living or dead. This place had an other worldly feel to it but she still did not feel herself to be in any danger.

Then again, that might have been because of the aura that this place, this road and this air, was giving her. That comfortable spring day that would be spent on a back porch with your best friends, playing catch up and discussing future plans. The type of day she would have been in the hammock in her back yard, curled up with one of her favorite books. Her phone on vibrate, so that the chime of incoming text messages from Elena and Caroline wouldn't disturb the quiet of the air or birds chirping their happiness of the weather.

The trees on either side of her were large, the type that had probably been around since before the state had a proper name. Their branches billowing out to cover the street, causing a tunnel like effect, that would keep the path cool on those scorching hot summer days. Their limbs full of leaves and birds, singing songs meant for children and lovers, encouraging them to enjoy the weather and promising that a rain would not ruin their day.

Jeremy.

How she would have enjoyed this day with her boyfriend. Sitting on the steps of her back porch, his arm draped over her shoulder, as she rested her head on his. The pair would discuss their future, her plans for sophomore year and if he had finally decided to enroll at Whitmore. They'd talk about parties they'd attend, football games in the fall and she would debate whether she would try out for the cheerleading squad.

If only she knew where he was.

Where she was.

Or better yet, where was Damon, the last person she remembered being with.

When she had stood, facing the end of her world, the end of her existence, she had felt lost. Horribly lost and upset that her she was again, in this situation, dying alone with her friends, again, none the wiser.

How relieved she had become when she came to the realization that Damon was approaching her from behind. That although he had just lost all hope of spending the rest of his life with Elena, or even now spending what might be his last few minutes of… afterlife, staring at the face of the woman he loved, he'd sought her out. He'd chosen to spend these last few minutes with her, a person he could feel and talk to, as they watched their world come crashing down.

She wished that she could spend this moment with Jeremy, yet she was happy that he would get to live. Maybe, eventually moving on, finding a girl who deserved the love that he could give and living the rest of his life to the fullest.

When she made it around the bend in the road, she saw another figure in the distance.

* * *

Damon decided that his new middle name was the Vampire With the Worst Luck.

And Damon the Vampire With the Worst Luck Salvatore was pissed.

How dare this world fuck him over again.

Again!

First he'd been given a horrible real middle name, so the Vampire With the Worse Luck, was actually a step up. Then he'd been given a little brother, not that he'd known that his and Stefan's relationship would be what it was, when the kid had been born but what five year old wanted a little brother.

Soon after, his mother had passed away, causing his father to Hulk out into the biggest jackass in the history of Mystic Falls, Virginia. When he was twenty one he'd had to do the honorable thing that was all the rage at the time in the South and join the war.

That horrid war that was against everything that he believed in. Fight in a war that wanted to keep people imprisoned and property of others. How could he fight for such a thing, when he himself, a free, white male couldn't bare the thoughts of having to do anything to please his father.

So when he'd deserted the battle and returned home, he hadn't given a shit about embarrassing his father and he definitely hadn't planned on falling in love with a damn vampire. A vampire that turned him against his little brother, before turning them both into the monsters they became.

He'd had dreams. Dreams of meeting a beautiful dark haired woman with bright eyes and falling dangerously in love. Worshipping this woman, courting her so well that the word needed to be redefined, then eventually the pair would marry. They'd leave the South for maybe a place like New York and then, when the time was right, have a beautiful little girl, after their large brood of sons who would beat the shit out of anyone who dare hurt their little sister.

Gone.

That possibility was gone. No beautiful wife, daughter or gang of rowdy, obnoxious boys. No visits from Uncle Stefan and his equally beautiful wife and well-mannered children, who would be corrupted by his own.

And since his reality was gone, taken away, robbed from him, he treated this one as a game.

Everything was a game and damn it if he weren't going to make sure he won every round. What was the point of trying to blend in and live a normal life, if you couldn't truly have one.

Then he'd met Elena and had fallen in love with a woman who once again, had chosen his brother before him. But finally, after years of hope and maybe the universe deciding to cut him a break, he'd gotten the girl…

Only for the universe to realize it had made an awful mistake and punish him in a way to make sure that he never got anything he wanted again.

Before his after death, he accepted that this was his fate. He knew that he and Elena were no good for one another, no matter how strong their love was, and he'd let her go. As much as he wanted to spend the rest of his time looking into her gorgeous eyes, he searched for Bonnie.

The girl who had done everything right, always had the best intentions and got shat on as much as he did. After everything she'd done, bringing Stefan and Elena and everyone else back to life, only to die alone again.

When she'd grabbed his hand, he tried his best to get a smile out of her. Although she tried to appear calm and together, he knew that she was feeling the exact opposite but would never admit it. Damon knew that Elena would eventually live a long life and move on but here was Bonnie, facing her inevitable end.

Now the witch was nowhere in sight.

He'd promised Emily to protect her descendants and now, yet again felt like a loser, having failed in the worst way imaginable. The little witch was now double dead and lost in a double afterlife.

Damon walked through the clearing and to the road. He tried to stand in the openness and get a whiff of her, yet his scenes were off. No longer supernatural but super human… well no, there was nothing super human about them.

He now needed to change his middle name to the Former Vampire With the Worst Luck.

After ten minutes walking down this street, he realized that normal walking was shitty when vamp running was no longer an option. Everything about now was shifty. No Elena, no vampirism and now, yet again, no Bonnie.

Why was it so hard for that damn trio of girls in Mystic Falls to do something as simple as not die.

As he neared the bend in the road, a figure appeared at the other end.

They both paused and he was sure they were assessing him and the situation and wondering if they should continue their approach, as he was.

He continued to walk towards the figure and as he neared, it became obvious that he was nearing a woman. And after another ten yards or so, it became clear that he was approaching—

"Bonnie?"

"Damon," he heard her voice ask and the pair broke into a quick run towards one another.

They stopped when only a few feet separated them.

The smile on her face let him know that she was just as ecstatic to see him, yet her next sentence verified it, "I could actually hug you right now."

Damon laughed, genuinely laughed at her choice of words, remembering having said the same to her when she had been lost. He closed the space between them and embraced her.

* * *

You would think after finding the one person that you actually knew in the uber afterlife, life… or whatever this was, would make things a lot simpler. That differences would be put aside and a comradery would blossom between the pair. Well, those people had never had the displeasure of being in the company of Damon Salvatore.

He complained and whined 'human legs are stupid', 'why won't it rain already' and 'this half ass sunlight is hurting my equally human eyes'. Bonnie stayed a few paces in front of him, trying to tune out his bitching. Of course he missed Elena, yes she did miss Little Gilbert and no she wasn't content with being dead… again.

They continued to walk down the never-ending road, until Damon pointed out a house, across a clearing, he'd spotted between a group of trees. They argued whether to cross the field or continue on their way. When he pointed out that they had been walking down this same street for what felt like hours, it would be stupid to pass up this home.

Begrudgingly, the former witch followed him between two trees and into the clearing. As they crossed through the high grass, Bonnie complained of the possibility of spiders. 'You've gone against Originals and you're scared of spiders', was the snide reply she'd received as he slowed for her to catch up.

When they were a quarter of a mile from the house, they happened upon a stream. Further investigation, led to Damon finding a tree trunk lain on its side, conveniently becoming the makeshift bridge that they needed.

He began to cross first, turning to capture her hand in his. Bonnie stepped up onto the tree and as he assisted her, she looked up to meet his eyes but the thank you caught in her throat.

Why did he have to be so gorgeous?

The sun, which was finally peaking between a break in the clouds as it descended in the horizon, made his hair shine, reminding her of the villain who has yet to go bad. The villain who's still an average Joe, before something tragic happens to his wife or girlfriend, making him turn. His blue eyes, focused on her, widening at her hesitation before he rolled them, his pink lips curled into a sneer.

"I promise I won't let you fall," he stated, making the words seem as though they were being forcibly dragged out of his mouth.

Bonnie shook the thoughts from her mind. Now was not the time to lust after her best friend's boyfriend. Yet after she was safely on the trunk, walking one foot in front of the other and hand safely encased by his, she reminded herself that there may no longer be an Elena.

Or Jeremy.

Or anyone else for that matter. Just she and Damon.

There were no signs of anyone else being near or no way of knowing where they were. Hopefully the owners of the house they'd found, would be able to fill them in.

When Damon was safely on the other bank, he held her waist, lifted her and didn't let go until her feet rested on the ground, in front of his.

"See, man of my word."

They continued their journey across the field and finally stepped onto the stretch of gravel road which ran before the house.

The beautiful home that made Bonnie wish for her life back.

It was a two storied house, a small front porch in front and large windows on the main floor. The second story was small, maybe only holding two bedrooms at most but the main level looked large and spacious. A cobble stoned path, which led to the porch steps, was lined with hydrangea bushes and bright colored flower pots rested on the porch, holding herbs of all types.

This was the kind of house that was meant to be a forever home, where one married and raised their babies…

"Let's see if anyone is home, shall we?"

Bonnie followed Damon along the path, before the pair made their way up the stairs. The wooden door held a large pane of glass in the center, giving them a clear view into the home but no way for them to miss the note taped to it.

Long pale fingers snatched the note from the glass and as he unfolded it and began to read the words, Bonnie scolded him.

"We can't show up to a stranger's house, read their letters and then ask for their help."

His brows knitted, as he extended the paper towards her, clasped between two fingers.

Unable and unwilling to hide her disapproval, she grabbed the letter and began to read

'To Bonnie Sheila Bennett and Damon Giuseppe (the Former Vampire with the Worst Luck) Salvatore,

This is your new home. Everything that you will ever need, you will find inside. If you know where and how to look for them, all of your questions will be answered. When you need a change of scenery step into your own backyard and let your imagination run wild. This is your place of healing, remembering and enjoying the afterlife that you deserve.'

"I don't get it?" she stammered.

Damon grabbed the door knob and pushed it open. "What's there not to get Bon Bon?" he walked over the threshold and looked over his shoulder to her. "We're stuck here. For all of eternity. Together."

Bonnie hesitantly followed him inside, shutting the door behind her. Her eyes scanned the home and open floor plan. Every space of the walls, that didn't hold a window, had bookcases, bursting with books, soft and plush sofas and chairs were placed throughout the large room and in the back corner was a large fireplace.

The kitchen cabinets were made of dark wood, the countertops made of butcher's block, their were no overhead cabinets, just shelves upon shelves holding plates, cups, glasses, tea kettles, pots and pans. Right past the kitchen was a door leading to the backyard and another, more solid door was not too far from it. A spiral staircase was set dead center in the home.

"But where is here?"

The blue eyed man made his way to the interior door, which he cracked open and peeked into the room. "Didn't you read the ominous note? Cause I'm pretty sure it was written in that round about witch way. We'll find answers if we look for them." He closed the door to the room. "I'm however exhausted and it's getting late." He nodded towards the door. "I believe this room is for you."

"Why do you think that?"

He gave her that wild eyed crazed look that he was so good at. "Because it screams Bonnie." He walked past her and to the spiral stairs in the middle of the house. "I'm sure my room is upstairs."

She shook her head, not understanding his calm and blasé attitude towards the house, being stuck with her for all eternity and not trying to scheme up a way to get back to Elena. She asked him such.

He had made it up four stairs before he stopped and leaned over the rail to answer her. "Part of making peace is knowing that you and everyone else you know and love will be okay with you being gone. Yeah it sucks but…" he paused and seemed to think something over. "I'll explain later. You wouldn't understand right now."

She took a step towards him. "Understand what?"

His eyes rolled to the ceiling. "Love." When he looked to her face and saw the grimace, he further explained, "True love."

"I believe what me and Jeremy had was love." She defended.

"Funny choice of words," he commented. "You believe it was love but you don't know for a fact."

Bonnie immediately grew defensive. "And what you and Elena had was true love?"

Damon continued his climb up the stairs. "Don't put words in my mouth Little Witch." He studied her, waiting for her to respond and right before she could, he added, "Cause I'm sure you wouldn't like the things I'd put in yours."

Bonnie wanted to be disgusted but couldn't fight the smile that crossed her lips. After Damon was out of sight, she made her way to the room that he had declared 'screamed Bonnie' and when she opened the door, was a little worried by how right he was.

The room extended from the south end of the house, almost as if it were a second thought or addition. The three walls that were not attached to the rest of the home, were covered by windows, with a bench that wrapped around beneath them. Pillows made the seating look more inviting and books filling the space beneath it. The wall to the right, had an opening archway that led to a bathroom. Inside was a toilet, double sink and a shower with open windows that showed a view of a lush garden, keeping the exposed space private.

She was shocked to find the space stocked with her favorite toiletries, make up and plush towels. Back in the bedroom, she walked around the massive four post bed and peeked in the huge closet to find a full wardrobe, in her style and size.

More than a little freaked out, Bonnie stepped out of the room and headed up the spiral steps to the second floor. Having expected at least a hallway leading to two bedrooms, she was pleasantly surprised to find one open room, with a bed just as large as her own. The sound of water let her know that the archway across the room led to the bathroom and that Damon was in the shower.

She decided to wait for him to come out and plopped down onto his bed, falling to her back so she could stare at the ceiling, as she kicked her feet.

Ten minutes later when the water stopped she eagerly sat up. She'd grown impatient waiting and had thought of other things that were now boggling her mind. Yet one thing was still not sitting right with her.

She watched Damon step out of the bathroom, completely nude, vigorously drying his hair and making a bee line to the closet.

The teen averted her eyes and cleared her throat.

His eyes cut across the room to her, before he continued what he was doing. "My hearing isn't what it used to be," he admitted.

"Right, cause you would've come out here any different?"

"Of course not, my room, my naked." He began to leaf through the items in his closet, all black of course. "Now, how may you bother me?"

Bonnie played with the cuff of her jacket as she waited for him to dress.

"Come on Bonnie, I'm like your only b.f.f. nowadays."

She shook her head. "Why don't you think what Jeremy and I had was true love?"

After he'd pulled on a pair of linen pants and a sleeveless shirt, he sat beside her. "How are you here?"

Confused, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"I assumed this was the type of place one went to when they'd found peace, yet here you are, asking silly questions instead of focusing on what's important."

"But that is important."

He snorted. "With Little Gilbert gone and with no signs of him coming back, why are you dwelling on that? Accept what you've been given and move on."

Not believing that she was being lectured on feelings concerning love, from the man who had obsessed over a woman for a century and promptly followed that by stealing his brother's girlfriend, only confused her more.

"I just don't understand how you're so okay with the way things turned out."

"I've made peace with it Bonnie." He rolled onto his stomach before crawling to the center of the bed and pulling the comforter over himself. "And unfortunately, it's something that you'll have to come to peace with on your own."

She stood and turned her back to him as she wiped away her tears. "It's not that easy, Damon."

He turned onto his side, presenting her with his back. "Never said it was."


	3. Drowning in Sorrow

**Drowning in sorrow (or 99 Problems but a Witch Ain't One)**

Damon woke the next morning feeling like a million bucks. Well, not quite a million but maybe a couple grand short.

Looking out the window, he noticed that the sky was still that bleak gray color that made him want to stay in bed and accomplish nothing. Or pull a beautiful brunette closer to him and wake her with kisses. Yet seeing as how that wasn't an option, he crawled out of the softer than sin bed and made his way to the bathroom.

As he brushed his teeth, with the toothbrush that had been provided, he listened to the birds greet the morning and wished for the days that he used to hunt them for sport and food. Their songs were stupid and optimistic for a species notorious for flying into a clear window, despite the fact that said window was usually surrounded by a building.

He rinsed his mouth and was about to head out of the room and downstairs to find his eternal life mate, when he heard a shower running. He waited a beat and soon he heard a very feminine voice join the birds in song, except the lyrics she sang were much more comprehensible.

_We will be again, another time_

_No matter what all the others say_

_Cause I would leave it all so far behind_

_Just to be with you today_

That was his cue to exit. No, he did not need to listen to a teenage girl, pine away in the shower, over her even younger teen boyfriend.

For the life, or at the time, afterlife of him, he'd never been able to figure out what Bonnie had seen in the younger and much less resourceful boy. Where Bonnie was intelligent, powerful and gorgeous (yes, he could admit that she was a looker), he'd always seen Jeremy as useless, meddlesome and dopey. While Bonnie could think of and execute a plan meticulously, Jeremy, much like his sister, always tried to help and always fucked things up.

Yet Damon, unlike Bonnie knew there was no point in entertaining the thoughts of anything Gilbert or Mystic Falls related and with these thoughts in mind, he made his way downstairs.

In the kitchen he saw a tea kettle on the stove, steam billowing from the spout, as the ceramic vessel whistled for attention. He turned off the eye and opened the refrigerator. There on the top shelf rested a container of coffee and he could actually feel his gums ache with phantom pains of his fangs, craving a nice warm mug of blood.

Knowing that his taste had changed, he sighed to himself and set about prepping the coffee percolator. Five minutes later and he was seated at the café table in the corner, sipping his morning coffee and waiting for Bonnie to appear.

She finally emerged from her room, dressed in a pair of Capri leggings and a camisole. His eyes did that natural perverted thing they were used to doing and checked for any underwear beneath the garments and he was pleasantly surprised to come to the conclusion, that there were none.

"Morning Damon," she greeted, grabbing a mug from one of the shelves and set about preparing her tea.

"Bonnie," was his single word reply.

She joined him at the table and they sat across from one another, sipping their beverages and contemplating their new life… together.

After each sip, she set her cup down and watched the steam dance into the air, her eyes sneaking a glance at him, before she would take yet another sip.

"I know I'm dangerously attractive but me drinking coffee can't be that interesting."

Her head shook. "I just…" she paused. "I miss them."

He nodded. "So do I."

Another sip. "So how are you so… Damon, about this whole situation."

He felt his eyes roll before he could control them. "Again, it's that whole making peace situation. You have to accept the fact that although you may be gone, they will one day be okay. That they will miss you a little less as each day, month or year passes but you'll always have a piece of their heart.

"I'm happy knowing that even though I died, I did get to enjoy what little time I could with Elena and although most of our years were spent apart, I had a brother who would do anything for me."

Bonnie tucked a strand of damp hair behind her ear. "But what about those years you could have had, had you not died?"

Damon shrugged. "What's the point of wasting time worrying about something that will never be?" He needed to get a smile out of her. "What's that dumb saying 'Y.O.L.O.'?" When she laughed, he felt a grin break across his own face. "Well I think that between the two of us, we've defied that saying multiple times."

They enjoyed the rest of their beverages in silence.

* * *

Damon stood beside Bonnie at the back door. They had both looked over the note they'd found on the door multiple times, with Bonnie trying to decipher the meaning of it's explanation of their new backyard. And the now philosophical Salvatore stated 'because just going outside wouldn't answer anything'.

They were now trying to decide who would step out first.

"I thought you were such a big bad," she teased.

"Vampire," he finished. "I was a big bad vampire." He looked her up and down. "And what happened to you women wanting to be treated equally? Or does that not apply towards life threatening situations and spiders?"

Her forehead creased. "Spiders are life threatening."

And after multiple rounds of rock, paper scissors, Damon did the gentlemanly thing of opening the door and shoving her out onto the back porch.

At the sound of her gasp, he followed.

A cobbled path, similar to the one in front of the house, led from the porch before separating into different areas of the yard. One path led to a vegetable and fruit garden, with produce already budding, waiting to ripen, be picked and put into something deliciously home cooked. A birdbath sat in the center of the homegrown produce, where a few cardinals bathed and chirped to one another.

Another path led to a large wooden arbor, a suspended bed hanging from the rafter, covered in plush and brightly colored pillows, lights weaving through the slats of wood to illuminate the space for plenty of evenings curled up with your favorite book.

In the center of the yard was an ancient oak tree, its branches jutting into the sky to great heights, before lazily sweeping back down to the earth, bending and twisting, creating plenty of natural seating, hidden by its full limbs of leaves. More lights adorned the branches and trunk, supplying light to whoever decided to rest upon the bench that sat at the base of the trunk.

The final pathway led to the back of the yard, a single solid wood gate breaking up the tall brushes that created its own fence, closing in the yard.

"This is beautiful," the short woman murmured as she began to explore the space.

Damon could only agree as he made his way to the tree. He quickly climbed onto one of the low branches, rested his back against the thick limb and let his legs dangle as he watched Bonnie.

Her fingers delicately grazed the peaches on the tree, she squeezed the green tomatoes and breathed in the aroma of the strawberries. She wandered to the arbor, before plopping down onto the bed. Her feet gently kicked off from the ground and she sprawled across the mattress, enjoying the gentle sway.

"Wanna see where that gate leads?" Damon asked, opening an eye and glancing in her direction.

She didn't say anything but continued to swing.

They enjoyed the gentle breeze of what felt to be a late spring morning and didn't give each other another thought, until Damon felt the emptiness of his stomach.

Without a word to the sulking teen, he made his way back to the house. In the kitchen, he found all the ingredients he needed to make grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. When they were completed, he plated a couple for himself and one for Bonnie, before heading back outside.

She continued to lie on the mattress, an arm rested across her eyes as the other hung off the side of the bed. Damon set the plate beside her, sat on the bench near the tree and began to eat with a vigor he hadn't had since he were last human.

* * *

**Fifty seven**

Fifty seven was the amount of days that found Bonnie Bennett in a stupor. Every morning he finished his morning ritual, with the sound of her singing some depressing song of lost love, in the shower. They sat across from one another, she drinking her tea, him enjoying his coffee, then it was out to the yard.

Bonnie would flop down onto the bed and he would either read a book, while relaxing on a branch or pick some kind of vegetable to be added to whatever meal he'd cook them for dinner (yes, he cooked). He'd deposit a plate or bowl, overflowing with deliciousness and she'd either ignore or pick at the food.

Eventually the gray monotonous clouds would break as the sunset, bringing with it beautiful shades of oranges, reds and pinks. When the sun had set and the moon had risen, the many lights strung around the outdoor space would illuminate along with the stars, giving an astral glow to the yard. After a few more hours, Bonnie would fall asleep and like a gentleman, he'd carry her inside and tuck her into bed.

On day fifty eight, he was fed up_._

As he brushed his teeth and glared at his reflection, trying to decide whether or not he'd let the scruff on his jaw to continue to grow, she started.

_I believe in nothing_

_Not the end and not the start_

_I believe in nothing, not the earth and not the stars_

_I believe in nothing, not the day or not the dark_

_I believe in nothing, but the beating of our hearts_

_I believe in nothing, 100 suns until we part_

_I believe in nothing, not in sin and not in God_

_I believe in nothing, not in peace and not in war_

_I believe in nothing, but the truth in who we are_

It was definitely way past time to put an end to Bonnie the Emo Witch.

Damon made his way into the kitchen and as usual her tea kettle was on and she had taken the initiative and started his coffee. When they whistled their completion, he poured the hot beverages into their mugs (because apparently these were now their mugs) and prepared them to their liking.

He was seated at the table, when she emerged from her room. Her eyes went from the empty stove, to the piping hot drink in front of her seat (again, when did this routine get set), before she sat across from him.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"Sure." He took a sip of his coffee. "So, we're going to try to open that back gate today."

She shook her head. "I'm not in the mood."

He smiled. "I don't recall asking or caring." He watch her frown. "I'm tired of this whole 'whoa is me' act. What's the point in having a companion in the afterlife, if said companion is a Debby Downer?"

"Well, I enjoy doing absolutely nothing all day."

"I don't and I don't like you sulking over Boy Buffy." He stood and grabbed their mugs, placed them in the sink and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. "Now, about that back gate."

Bonnie allowed herself to be pulled out the back door and across the space. He took it upon himself to swing their arms between them.

"You're acting like a child." She stated, the smile in her voice let him know she wasn't judging.

He looked at her as they continued walking. "Is it contagious?"

She giggled. "A little."

"A little," he scoffed. He released her hand when they stood in front of the gate. "So," he stroked his chin. "What are your predictions of what we'll find behind here?" He watched her open her mouth and before she could reply, added, "And don't give me some cop out answer like 'the way home'. The note said use your imagination."

Damon watched her eyes close and saw the tiny muscular movements in her face. After a few minutes she opened an eye, grimacing at him. "I can't think of anything."

His hand went to the handle. "Well think of something, unless you want to find ten naked Bonnies on the other side of this gate."

The woman's mouth fell open. "Why naked Bonnies?!" she slapped his shoulder. "I'd think you'd want naked Elenas."

"Psh, I've seen that tons of times." He looked over the teen that stood before him. "I've only seen naked Bonnie in my imagination." He dodged her next swing. "What?"

"You're imagining it right now aren't you?" her arms immediately crossed over her very clothed breasts.

A roll of the eyes. "Every male, who isn't related to you has more than likely thought about naked Bonnie." When her nose scrunched with disapproval and disgust, he added, "We're pigs. Deal with it." Turning back to the gate he nodded. "Alright, so naked Bonnies it is."

"Wait, I'll think of—"

"Too late," he sang as he grasped the handle and pushed the gate open to reveal—

"A beach?" Bonnie muttered.

The blue eyed human smiled. "I don't want my first real naked Bonnie to be a hallucination."

Damon began to make his way across the warm white sand, heading towards the water and feeling ridiculously overdressed. The water was as clear and blue as the sky, which was odd considering it had just been that god awful gray, like it had been for the two months they'd been in their new realm.

He turned back towards the way they'd came and saw nothing but palm trees, more sand and water, as though they were on an island. Oddly enough, just the gate that they'd walked through was on the sand, with no fence encasing it nor house behind it.

His eyes scanned the area for Bonnie and he saw her trekking towards a cabaña (where the fuck had that come from). It was huge, with two chaises and parasol in front of it, facing the water.

"Be careful Bennett!"

She turned to face him and waved him over, before turning back around and entering the cabaña.

He made his way to the shore and rolled up the legs of his pajama pants before stepping into the cool water. Damn, he couldn't remember the last time he'd been to the beach for a relaxing day near the water. There'd always been some ulterior motive for his feet touching sand and right now he wanted to shoot his idiotic, formally living-ish self for not making a single day trip.

Why had he thought of the beach before opening the gate?

"Hey Salvatore," he heard her call and his head turned to acknowledge the girl.

Bonnie Bennett stood just outside of the canopied enclosure, a bright orange strapless bikini now barely covering her curves, hair held back with a headband and sunglasses perched on her tiny nose.

That's it, he thought, a Bikini Bonnie was almost as good as a naked one and in this moment, he'd never wanted to high five his brain any more than now.

Clearly she knew what he was thinking because a slender finger made an unbecoming gesture, as she stated, "There's swim trunks in here for you."

He took his time walking over to the cabaña and once inside, drew the canvas curtains closed. He took his time undressing and pulled on the trunks, that hung a bit from his hips, just as he liked, before he pulled on the sunglasses, straw fedora and stepped outside.

* * *

After a wonderful nap, Bonnie woke with too many thoughts in her head. She faced Damon, lying beside her, hat drawn over his eyes and lightly snoring.

She was starting to feel as if she could breathe whenever she thought of never seeing Jeremy again and was beginning to accept her fate. As Damon had pointed out, there really was no reason for her to dwell on the past or think of what ifs.

The note had said they'd be provided with everything they needed. Jeremy wasn't there, which she took to mean that she didn't need him, yet for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why Damon was still around. But the house seemed as if it were made specifically for the two of them to enjoy, however long they would have together, so she was going to make it her job to do just that.

"You're thinking too hard," Damon told her, never opening his eyes or turning in her direction.

"How did you know that what me and Jeremy had wasn't true love?"

He tipped his hat back, so that his blue orbs could meet her hazel. "Have you finally come to that conclusion?"

Bonnie slid her sunglasses over her eyes as she frowned. "I mean, I wanted to spend forever with him but… I don't know, I just always felt in my gut that it wouldn't happen."

She watched him sit up, swinging his legs to the side of the chaise so that he could face her. "I was told by a very wise woman once that true love is easy. Your love for Jeremy wasn't, mine with Elena…" he didn't finish his statement, laughing instead.

"By easy you mean..."

"I swore there was a rumor about you being smart."

She presented him with her finger again. "Fuck off Salvatore." The pair laughed. "But seriously, what do you mean."

Damon pulled off his hat and placed it on her head, before he ran his fingers through his hair. "All the bullshit fights with my brother, that sire bond bullshit and every attempt to keep her alive. Our constant fighting and breakups." He shrugged. "I liked to chalk it up to a relationship full of passion but that shit wasn't healthy."

"I never said anything cause someone would more than likely have told me to mind my business or call me Judgy."

He pointed an accusatory finger at her. "You are judgy and it wasn't any of your business. And you relationship wasn't any better."

She shook her head.

"You died to bring him back to life and he cheated on you." He leaned back on the lounge. "The sex couldn't have been that good."

"We hadn't even had sex at that point."

He feigned shock as he threw his hand to his forehead. "Well you're dumber than I thought." He squinted his eyes, studying her. "Seriously?" she nodded. "Please don't tell me he was your one and only."

When she turned her face away, he knew he'd gotten his answer.

Damon tsked, "What a waste."

At this moment, she could only pull his hat down to cover her face as he laughed.

* * *

The pair spent the rest of the day soaking up the sunshine and when Damon disappeared in the cabaña and returned with beer, she found herself perking up. They sipped from the bottles and watched the sun set over the water in a comfortable silence. Occasionally one asking the other a question, mostly her asking about his travels and the places he had seen during his many years.

He admitted his love of the countryside, like her and his distaste for the south, it reminding him too much of his childhood. When she asked why he had been in Mystic Falls for so long, he confessed that it was supposed to be a layover, yet he'd gotten caught up in Elena drama.

Bonnie questioned his sudden bout of honesty and he confessed, 'if you can't be honest with the person you're going to spend eternity with, who can you be honest with'. This is why she found herself divulging her stories, emotions and past fears to him.

She'd started dating Jeremy because she'd been tired of being the only single one of her friends, and he had attractive, available and interested. And maybe it was because they were being honest or it might have been because he'd drank way too many beers but Damon began to confess—

"There was this moment, back when we were on the island, that I thought…" yet he appeared to rethink his impromptu confession and stood from his chaise. "We should go for a night swim."

Bonnie stood, grabbing his wrist to stop his path towards the sea. She had always been curious as to exactly what had happened on the island, after she'd found out from Stefan that she'd lost time.

"I never really got the full story of what happened there," she confessed. "I just know that Jeremy died, Silas was freed, Katherine stole the cure and I was lost but why did you stay…"

That wide eyed look crossed his face, as he pulled on her tiny wrist. "What'd we say about the past Bon Bon?"

She rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter. Nothing matters except for you and me and right now."

He nodded. "And right now, you and me should get some skinny dipping out of our systems." This was stated as his fingers found the tie holding her bikini top together before he raced for the water.


	4. Notre Chateau

**Notre Chateau (or Dancing with Pretty Girls)**

**Day One Hundred**

_I am doll eyes, doll mouth, doll legs_

_I am doll arms, big veins, dog bait_

_Yeah, they really want you,_

_They really want you, they really do_

_Yeah, they really want you,_

_They really want you, and I do too_

_I want to be the girl with the most cake_

_I love him so much it just turns to hate_

_I fake it so real, I am beyond fake_

_And someday, you will ache like I ache_

It's amazing how much you could have in common with someone you swore off as your enemy for most of your relationship.

Bonnie found out that Damon had a love for poetry, as in, he loved everything about it. He could read, write and decipher it all day and would claim it one of the happiest days of his life. When she also gushed over her love of poetry, he asked of her favorite and before the title could fully pass her lips, he was laughing.

"Dear God," he interrupted as he perused the shelves for something to read.

"What?"

He frowned, "Of all the poems, that's your favorite?"

Her eyes never left the pages of the book she was reading. "I don't have to explain my reasons to you."

Damon grabbed a book from one of the cases, before plopping down in the chair that rested on the other side of the end table, she was seated by.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"I know," she concluded.

The two sat in silence, the table lamp being the only light in the room. The sun had set hours ago and the pair had been in their respective spots in the yard, Damon among the branches and Bonnie on the bed, until she'd went inside. After another hour in the yard alone, he'd ventured inside as well.

Now they sat side by side, the blue eyed man tsking or chuckling.

She smirked. "If you must know Judgy, maybe I love it cause it's so amazingly controversial."

"You did not just call moi, Judgy?"

"Well, I did." She laughed. "See how you like it."

He shook his head. "Back to the matter at hand. Why would you call that… that poem controversial?"

Bonnie frowned as she draped her legs over the arm of the chair. "There's just so much lust—"

He scoffed. "I have more lust in two fingers than that poem multiplied by a thousand."

Her cheeks flushed and the book in her hands covered her face. Damon reached across the table, plucked the book from her grasp and chucked it across the room.

"What are you doing?" she asked and when he made a very crude motion with two lustful fingers, she grabbed his own book and hit him with it. "Disgusting!"

He stopped the obscene gesture and popped the fingers in his mouth, sucking them thoroughly and hungrily, all while staring in her eyes and chuckling.

Bonnie left the room, grateful that he didn't have that vampire sense of smell anymore because she definitely needed a shower and a change of panties.

* * *

**Day One Hundred Twenty Two**

They both found that the other loved tomatoes.

Damon had pounded down the stairs, expecting to find Bonnie sipping her coffee already, considering he hadn't heard her in the shower. His coffee was percolating but her tea kettle was already put away. He quickly prepared his coffee and after peaking into her room, stepped outside.

As he walked down the back steps, his eyes searched the space until they found her kneeling in the garden. She wore her usual, leggings and tank top, now with a bandana covering her hair and gardening gloves looking comically large on her tiny hands.

"Well if it isn't the Jolly Green… Dwarf?"

She looked at him over her shoulder, half smile covering her lips. "You didn't even try."

He shrugged, "It's early," raised his mug, "haven't had my coffee yet."

He took small sips as he watched her go back to work. She turned her back to him and continued inspecting the vegetables, filling her wicker basket with zucchini, eggplant, garlic and onion. When her fingers skimmed across some of the tomatoes that had yet to redden and she plucked one, Damon cleared his throat.

"What?"

"Those Heirlooms need more time, why don't you grab those Beefsteaks?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, these green guys," she said as she plucked another, "are going to by fried. While the Beefsteaks are going to be cooked."

Damon tapped her shoulder and when he had her attention, handed her his cup. Soon he was kneeling beside her, grabbing an Heirloom. "Just because they're green, doesn't mean they're ready to be fried."

"Are you trying to tell me, a witch—"

"Former witch, who hasn't spent nearly as much time as me in a garden?" he interrupted as he began to pick a few of the yellow peppers.

She gently shoved him with a dirt covered glove, as she sipped his coffee that he'd neglected. "Whatever. And those aren't even tomatoes, Genius."

He turned to make a smart comment and immediately stopped when their eyes met. Her green eyes and pouty lips held smiles, her cheek and nose smudged with dirt and fuck if he didn't get an urge, in the pit of his stomach, to kiss her.

Damon handed her the peppers in his hand, wiped the dirt from her cheek, stood and snatched his coffee. "I'll grab some basil from the front porch and maybe I'll make some of that ravioli you like." He began to walk away. "Although you don't deserve it."

"Four months with you and I've deserved the world!" she exclaimed.

Damn if he didn't agree. She really did deserve the world.

* * *

**Day One Hundred Thirty Seven**

_If I had a dime for every time you walked away,_

_I could afford to not give a shit_

_and buy a drink and drown the day_

_But your pockets, they are empty,_

_yeh, and mine are times two_

_So why not make an about-face,_

_and accept the love I send to you?_

_You're never gonna be content if you don't try,_

_try to see outside your line._

_There you go, you did it again!_

_You act as if there's blinders on your eyes._

_Should I apologize if what I say burns your ears and stains_

_your eyes?!_

_Oh, did I crack your shell?_

_When it falls away, you'll see we exist as well!_

_Like a bottle with the cork stuck,_

_your true ingredients trapped inside._

_Through the cloudy glass we catch a glimpse of you,_

_I guess the hard shell represents your pride._

_Oh, if only it could be different_

_we could uncover the you, you deny._

_Between two, a small discrepancy,_

_one complicates and one simplifies._

_TAKE THOSE FUCKING BLINDERS OFF YOUR EYES!_

_So if I had a dime for every time you walked away,_

_you could bet your bottom dollar that_

_I'd be filthy rich by noon today_

"Taste this," he called as she walked across the kitchen.

Bonnie stopped in her tracks, directly behind him as he stood in front of the stove. As usual he was dressed in black from head to toe, which contrasted greatly with the bright yellow apron tied around his neck and waist, as he stirred in a pan.

"If you weren't standing in this kitchen while saying that, I'd have called you disgusting."

He scooped some of the concoction onto the wooden spoon and turned to face her. "And had you said that, I'd have wished this magical house to have a thesaurus on your nightstand."

She ignored him and let him bring the spoon to her lips. Her eyes instantly closed upon taste and she was brought back to being that little pigtailed six year old, stealing bits of pie filling from her Grams' pan. Her little fingers would burn but her tummy would be full before the pie was completed.

"What kind of apples did you use?" she asked, taking his spoon and scooping up some more.

Damon laughed. "Well, I was told, many many years ago that you can only use Pink Lady and Fuji apples to make a proper pie."

The spoon stopped its journey to her lips, after hearing his reply, her eyes instantly watering. "And a couple peaches?"

His eyebrow raised into his hairline. "Yeah…"

"That's how my Grams made it."

Of course, he thought, "It was Emily's recipe."

Bonnie nodded, trying to control her tears. "I can't wait to try it," she blurted and handed him the spoon, before rushing into her room.

Damon continued to stir the apples, watching them caramelize and wanting to smack himself. He and Bonnie had been getting along so well during the past couple months and he'd wanted to do something semi nice for her.

Since he knew the girl could occasionally be a glutton for sweets, he'd decided that an apple pie after one of their feasts would do the trick. The pie wasn't the only dessert he knew how to prepare but it had been the only one he'd learned while human and since he'd been making it the longest, it was one he'd mastered.

It really hadn't clicked that he'd learned the recipe from Emily and that, with Emily being her ancestor, maybe the recipe had been passed down.

This is not how he wanted the night to go and as he pondered what he could do to sort of let her know he kinda felt bad, he heard giggling from her room. He quickly turned off the stove and crossed the space to her door. He knocked and waits for an answer. Instead of replying she continued to laugh.

Damon opened the door and saw her seated on her bed, clutching a book to her chest.

"What's your deal?"

She laughed and pulled the book away from her body, holding it so that he could read the cover.

"Is that a fucking thesaurus?"

She only nodded her head as she continued to laugh.

Damon looked to the ceiling, "I love you house.

* * *

_The sun just slipped its note below my door_

_And I can't hide beneath my sheets_

_ I've read the words before so now I know_

_ The time has come again for me_

_ And I'm feelin' the same way all over again_

_Feelin' the same way all over again_

_Singin' the same lines all over again_

_ No matter how much I pretend_

_ Another day that I can't find my head_

_ My feet don't look like they're my own_

_ I'll try and find the floor below to stand_

_ And I hope I reach it once again_

Bonnie sat across from Damon, sipping her coffee and picking at one of the fresh cinnamon rolls she'd prepared. She watched the Former Vampire Whose Luck Was Improving, as he licked the icing from his fingers.

"How many days has it been?"

He shook his head, finished licking his fingers and took a sip of his coffee. "Does it matter?" She shook her head. "So why ask?"

She shrugged. "Why continue keeping count?"

Damon stood and grabbed his plate, he grabbed hers, placing it on top and swiped the last of her roll, popping it into his mouth, before putting the plates in the sink.

"One hundred eighty nine."

"That's…"

"Almost six and a half months." He finished, having heard the… honestly, he wasn't sure what emotion he'd heard in her voice, but it wasn't a happy one. "Wanna sneak through the gate?"

Bonnie finished her coffee and grabbed Damon's mug. She placed them into the sink and looked at him as he leaned against the counter, their hips almost touching.

"Is sneaking necessary?"

His hand went to her hip. "Don't say it like that, all pervy, giving me ideas."

"You're repulsive," she mumbled not meaning a single word that she'd spoken.

"Glad you're putting that thesaurus to use." An arm snaked across her shoulders. "And yes I'm repulsive and yes sneaking is necessary." He began to steer her to the back door. "Makes for a more memorable day."

The pair walked down the stairs and over the cobble stoned path, around the large oak tree and to the gate.

It was odd, this new Damon Salvatore. Never had she seen him this sweet and attentive, not even with Elena. Although that may have been because whenever she'd seen the pair, it was them meeting to go over some kind of plan to keep the brunette alive.

This Damon was amazing. Yet it was hard to imagine, when there were so many memories of the old Damon, snapping necks, ripping out hearts and repeatedly letting it be known that he didn't care about her life being in danger or her dying.

But then again, he'd fought like hell to bring her back to life… only for the pair to die together a few months later.

After their initial trip through their magnificent back door, they'd gone through it two other times, both having been Damon's destinations because Bonnie still found it hard to imagine where to go.

They'd spent a day hiking through a Costa Rican rainforest and splashing in waterfalls, until they found a picnic set up in a clearing. The pair sat on the jungle floor, eating carne asada, rice and beans, tortillas and fried plantains, him telling her stories of his first visit to the real location. When they'd packed up everything, a rain began to fall and they'd taken their time heading back, with Damon constantly placing a steady hand on her hip or lower back to keep her from slipping.

Once they had made their way back to the gate, the pair paused, looking back at the tropical paradise and Bonnie wasn't sure if it was the warm weather along with the cool breeze from the rain, her full belly or maybe because, yes, she'd finally come to accept that this was now her life, but she'd never felt such a strong urge to kiss someone.

Damon pushed his wet hair off his forehead and had stared at her as though he could read her mind. His eyes widened and he shook his head. 'Not yet', was all he said before opening the gate and stepping into their backyard.

Their third visit was spent skiing in Aspen.

Damon had laughed the night before when she'd admitted to never trying the sport and the following day had dragged her through the yard and past the tree, shaking his head the entire time, before opening the door. He'd pulled her through and they made the quick walk across the snow until they arrived at the lavish home that awaited.

After finding the clothes and gear provided for them, he'd made sure that she was bundled up before allowing her outside. She was amazed at how patient he was, making sure she knew the basics and felt safe, answering all her questions and being a decent human being. He had taken the smaller slopes with her, rolling his eyes when she told him that she'd be fine and for him to go and enjoy himself.

"You're all I have Bennett. I gotta make sure you stay safe."

"I doubt I'll die again, especially not here."

He shook his head. "A chance I'm not willing to take."

Since that day she had felt different. Different about her past opinion of Damon, her feelings for him and was shocked when she identified those feelings as love. No it wasn't that romantic love that she had felt for Jeremy but the love you developed for a friend.

That love that started as a fondness for someone, blossomed into friendship and finally, when you didn't even realize it, struck you in the face and made you realize that this person was family. At first she had thought that maybe with Damon being the only other person she had, that it was only a matter of time before they became friends. Yet she realized that wasn't the case because had this Damon been around in Mystic Falls and shown himself, she would have always thought the world of him.

There had been a time back while she'd been dabbling with Expression, when she had harbored a minor crush on him… well him and Jeremy. She'd spoken with Professor Shane about this, or at least she had mentioned how all of her emotions had intensified and Damon's name may have been mentioned. His reply had been, 'of course. You're tapping into your feelings and every part of your being, even the parts that you aren't consciously aware of are speaking loud and clear'.

But what would have been the point of pursuing someone who was sniffing after her best friend's ass like a puppy.

Now here she was in the backyard of the house which claimed to have everything she needed, wondering if that note included one Damon Giuseppe Salvatore.

"Stop thinking so hard and open the damn gate," he teased, placing a hand to her lower back and pushing her forward.

Bonnie did as she was told.

She stepped forward with Damon right behind her, softly closing the door after them.

The sun shone brightly upon their shoulders as they crossed the field of high grass and wild flowers. Bonnie allowing her fingers to ghost over some of the blossoms, as they made their way to the two story stone home, with steep gable roofs, large steeple inspired windows and a brick staircase leading up to a balcony on the second floor.

An immaculate garden surrounded the house and the patio behind the home. A tiny wooden pier jutted out over the lake, where a tiny row boat sat docked, waiting for a trip through the water.

Damon frowned. "If this is supposed to be reminiscent of Marie Antoinette's Hameau de la Reine, then I hate to break it to you but it's historically inaccurate." She glared at him. "Just a smidge."

"Please shut up."

They walked up the two steps and stood on the front stoop, where he leaned against the rail. Neither said anything while she stood and looked out at the yard before them, taking it all in.

"When I was little, my Grams used to throw these elaborate birthday parties for me. She'd transform her backyard into some super girly theme for me, Elena and Caroline and… now knowing what I know, I think some kind of magic was involved."

He nodded. "I'm sure it was, just to make the day special for her little grandwitch."

Bonnie smirked. "We stopped having them when I turned thirteen and Caroline decided that boys should be included in birthday celebrations." She turned back to the door. "We were going to have another for my eighteenth birthday, either Alice in Wonderland or something inspired by the French Revolution but we never got to..."

"Well let's get inside and enjoy our day in Versailles.

* * *

Bonnie stepped out into the backyard and had to stop to catch her breath.

Damon stood at the bottom of the steps, leaning against the rail as he waited for her, looking way too comfortable in his clothes. He wore a pair of brown knee breeches, a white shirt with a slightly ruffled collar under the brown vest, white stockings and brown shoes completed the look.

"Well, don't you look… gorgeous," he offered as he looked her over.

There had been plenty of gowns in the room she'd entered yet she'd chosen the periwinkle blue muslin dress, with the tightly fitted bodice and cap sleeves. There'd been a wide white ribbon that was to adorn her neck and she'd debated it, before deciding that since it had been provided, she might as well wear it.

She made her away down the stairs and Damon extended his arm for her. She grasped it and allowed him to lead her through the garden.

"I forgot how much I hated these stupid pants," he muttered.

She giggled, "Well if it's any consolation, you look absolutely dashing."

"Well of course."

They headed through the field, no path or destination in mind. When they'd made it to the middle Damon pulled from his back pocket a tiny leather covered book, a red ribbon playing the role of bookmark. He told Bonnie he'd found it while getting dressed and when she'd asked what was inside, he showed her the poems all written in French.

Bonnie sat in the grass, leaning back on her hands and Damon climbed down beside her, before he stretched out on his back, resting his head in her lap. He began to read some of the poems aloud and granted she didn't understand a word of the language, his voice reciting the foreign words was beautiful. Some of the poems, he knew without a glance at the pages, instead looking up at her as he spoke the words.

Her fingers grew a mind of their own as she found them playing with his locks of raven hair.

"You're beautiful," she mumbled.

"Duh," he said before sitting up. He kissed her cheek and stood. "Let's finish exploring."

He helped her to her feet and they made their way back to the garden. She sat on one of the benches, while he wandered around. When he returned, he plopped down beside her, hands full of delphiniums, baby's breathe, daisies and a lone peony.

As they talked, she watched as he weaved a crown out of the many flowers. When it was completed, he placed it atop her head and tucked the stem of the peony in the ribbon that circled her throat.

"Why'd you stay back for me?" she asked.

He carefully observed her. "What do you mean?"

"On the island," she added as she ran a hand through his hair, shaking out some blades of grass that had been stuck in it.

He turned his eyes away. "Someone needed to find you."

But she wasn't going to take this for an answer. "Stefan could have stayed. Elena had just lost her brother, you should have been with her."

"I don't do well with other people's emotions, Bonnie. So can we just drop it?" he growled.

"No."

She knew he was frustrated, pissed even. She could tell just by the change in the air between them. The light heartedness of the day was gone and she couldn't really understand why, considering how simple of a question she was asking.

Damon stood to his feet and began to pace in front of the bench. "Why does it matter? You were lost, you needed to be found, so I stayed behind and found you. Just like when you died, I did what needed to be done to make sure you'd come back."

Bonnie shook her head. "Someone else could have done it."'

"But no one else was going to and I needed to make sure it got done because I couldn't... I couldn't imagine a life without Bonnie Sheila Bennett, in it!" He took a breath, trying to calm himself. "There's a reason I'm here with you."

She shook her head. "Don't say it."

"I need you Bonnie." He frowned. "I need you in my life.

* * *

That night they dined at the table on the patio, the space illuminated with kerosene lanterns. They didn't speak of their earlier conversation as they chatted over their dinner of lamb roast, baby carrots and roasted red potatoes. They sipped the iced champagne and snacked on petit fours and she told him of what her dreams for the future had been.

When they were full and sated, he pulled her to her feet, his right hand splayed across her lower back while his left held her right hand, interlacing their fingers and he began to sway to a song only he could hear.

"Do you miss being a vampire?"

He nodded, nestling his nose in her hair. "Of course."

"What do you miss?"

He took a long whiff of her. She still smelt of the flowers that had adorned her hair, along with that intoxicating body wash that she used.

"My super sense of smell."

Damon felt her pull her body closer to his. "Why that?"

"Because you always smell divine." He continued to move them across the patio. "When you're a vampire, every smell is all consuming and fully washes over you. It stays with you, creating a memory of that moment from the first time you smelled it."

He let his hand at her waist dance its way up her spine, until it came to a rest at the nape of her neck. His fingers danced across the knot in the ribbon that wrapped around her magnificent throat.

"I miss my fangs," he continued. "I miss letting them graze across a woman's neck as I tasted the sweat and fear that dampened her skin." His nimble fingers undid the knot. He slid the ribbon into his pocket and let his lips tenderly touch her skin. "Sipping the nectar of life from a beautiful woman, getting a sense of who she was, from tasting what she was made of."

Bonnie tilted her neck, allowing him better excess. "Damon," she whispered.

"Hmm,"

"I'm glad we're here together."

"Me too, Little Bird."

Her arms wrapped around his neck. "Little Bird?"

_"Every morning I wake_

_To the sound of the birds_

_Singing their thanks_

_To the day that's come_

_Yet there's one little bird_

_Who sings louder than them all_

_Singing the words from her heart_

_With the rising of the sun_

_My favorite little bird_

_The most beautiful of them all"_

Her feet stopped moving and he stopped along with her, her head lifted so that their eyes met.

"You listen to me sing in the shower every morning?"

It wasn't disgust he heard in her voice, so he admitted, "Every morning, for one hundred eighty nine days."

"I'm sorry,"

"Don't apologize," he murmured before finally capturing her lips with his own.


	5. Intimacy

**Intimacy (or a Stupid Dead Witch & an Even Dumber Dead Vampire)**

Bonnie had been kissed before.

Plenty of times, by quite a few boys but never like this.

She should have known from her years associated with Damon, that he was a perfectionist. From the way he dressed, how tidy he kept his house and how spotless his car was every time she'd seen it. So naturally he'd be great at any kind of romantic encounter.

Damon's lips were so soft and full as they pressed against her own. Her arms instinctively tightening around his neck, trying to pull herself even closer to his body. One of his arms grazed her back on its way down to her rear, which he cupped, bringing her hips flush against his, letting her feel all of him, beneath those horrid pants. His other hand cupped the back of her head, fingers lost in her hair.

She felt him suckle her bottom lip and when her mouth opened to allow a moan to escape, his tongue found its way in. After a minute he broke the kiss and gingerly peppered her skin with kisses, leading from her collarbone and stopping right behind her ear.

When he kissed her temple, she felt... well she wasn't sure what it was but it caused her to jump back.

"I'm sorry," he quickly apologized.

Yet she shook her head, one hand resting at her lower abdomen, the other at her chest. "It's not you, it's just…"

His eyes fell, the disappointment evident in them. "Look, I know I shouldn't have—"

"No seriously, shut up," she interrupted before she kissed him again.

Just as he began to kiss her back, she broke away from him, having felt that same sensation. The electricity in her belly and the filling of her heart.

"What is going on with you Bennett?"

She smiled up at him. "I can feel my powers." She saw the wide eyed look on his face. "Not as strong as they usually are but just barely, like a hum."

Damon could only smile, happy for her but curious as to what this would bring to their current situation.

* * *

She'd been genuinely surprised and quite upset when after her admission, he'd decided that they should head home. They'd walked across the pseudo French countryside and through the gate, back to their private piece of Heaven. She'd been disappointed when he didn't pull her to the bench under the tree strung with lights, to kiss her silly but instead walked her to her bedroom door.

There he'd kissed her forehead, ran a hand through her hair and turned on his heel, heading towards the stairs. When she heard him walking around his room, she'd entered her own and had undressed. The cool night breeze felt wonderful against her skin which felt too flushed from Damon's kisses and the upsurge of magic. So she splayed across her bed, completely nude, letting the air try its best to cool her warm flesh.

How had she gone this long without having been aware of this?

Usually Caroline was the first to gush over who liked whom and was always reading way too much into everything. But then again, Damon had made Elena his priority over everything, repeatedly letting everyone know that Bonnie was a means to an end and it wasn't a secret that she had tried to burn him alive. Now, honestly thinking back on things, she remembered a few occasions between she and him. Long looks of understanding, a mutual respect that they didn't always have for the others and damn it if he weren't one of the most attractive men in town.

He had been the one to make it his priority to bring her back to life. While Jeremy had been content with being the only one to talk to her, only actually upset that they couldn't touch (never mind her actually living), Elena and Caroline hadn't even noticed, okay with the explanation that she was visiting her mother, no phone calls to speak to her and only finding out the truth when they'd needed a favor.

She should have questioned it then.

Why had Damon been so determined to bring her back when he'd had his precious Elena? Actually sacrificing Katherine's life for the cause as well. Now finding out that he'd stayed behind on the island to find her when everyone else had high tailed it home after Jeremy's death, was unsettling.

Her feet soon found the floor and she pulled on one of her night shirts. She quickly crossed the room and when she turned the handle and pulled the door open, was surprised to find Damon on the other side of it.

"Hey, I was just on my away up," she admitted, stepping aside to allow him entrance.

He walked inside the room and made his way to the bed, where he sat. "Whatever for?"

She sat beside him. "I just wanted to ask a few questions. Like when did you—"

"Let's not talk about that right now." He interrupted. "I'm actually more concerned about you getting your witchy ju ju back cause that's just random and weird." His eyes looked her over, visually checking to make sure that she was physically alright. "When did this even start?"

Bonnie felt her face flush. "When you kissed me."

Damon laughed. "Maybe we should conduct more research."

The semi witch wasn't given an opportunity to answer before Damon wrapped his arms around her, turning their bodies so that she was splayed beneath him across the bed, her arms going around his waist. He worked his hips so that they were nestled between her thighs and damn, why hadn't she put on panties?

She felt the smile on his face when this realization struck him, yet he didn't comment on the matter, continuing to kiss her lips, his hands gently cupping her face and neck.

"How's the research going?" he asked between kisses.

Bonnie turned her face away, so that she could answer. "I feel it."

He hummed, "I bet you do," as he gently thrust between her legs.

"I meant my magic," she admitted as she released her hold on him and placed her hands on her lower stomach. "Right here. It's quiet but it's there."

Damon covered her hand with his own. "Why do you think it's coming back?" She shook her head. "And what good is it if we have everything that we need?"

She gently pushed him aside and sat up. "I mean, the house has given us everything we've needed so far, maybe I'll need my magic." She thought for a second. "Maybe it'll help us find a way home?"

He frowned as he stood. "Why would we need or want to go home?"

Bonnie shook her head, confused. "Why wouldn't we want to go home? Our friends are there, your brother's there…"

"Jeremy's there," he concluded.

"Well, of course he's there but that's not why I want to go back," she defended.

He shook his head. "Then why? Why do you want to go back? You're too big for that piece of shit town. Fuck Mystic Falls and everyone in it."

She stood and made her way across the room towards him. "What about Stefan?"

"What don't you get Bonnie?" He looked down upon her. "Everything that we need is here. You and I. That's it."

"I just need to make sure that everyone is okay—"

"You brought almost all of them back to life. How much more do you want to do for them?"

Bonnie could tell that he was clearly upset but really couldn't fathom why he didn't care about what was going on at home. How could he just not care? About his brother, all of their friends and Elena. She asked him such.

And instead of answering, he asked, "When are you going to find your peace?"

Frustrated, she explained. "I have, it's just—"

"No you haven't." He interrupted. "Every morning you sing your sad songs and sip your tea with a little pout on your face, probably counting the days until you can get back home. Back to Jeremy. Away from me." She was about to interject but he continued. "You're too damn selfless to just say fuck it and only concern yourself with your own happiness."

"Well if being at peace means that I have to be as selfish as you, then I guess I'll never find it."

Never had she regretted her choice of words in a moment, as much as she did right now.

And instead of lashing out, calling her names or breaking something, Damon calmly walked out of the bedroom and slammed her door.

The crack of thunder almost made her jump out of her skin, having not heard the sound in months and soon the sound of rain beating down on the house surrounded her.

* * *

So much progress had been made and now they were back to square one.

He'd stopped counting the days, when he hadn't heard her sing in the shower the following morning. The rain had only picked up overnight and he wasn't sure if it were tied to her emotions, if maybe, it were supposed to rain in this realm or something even more supernatural were taking place, but the downpour had yet to stop.

Every morning when he came down for his coffee, he'd find breakfast sitting at his place on the table but no Bonnie. Every evening he cooked dinner and ate alone, leaving a plate of food out for her, before he cleaned his mess and retired to his room.

Tiptoeing around one another was challenging in such an average sized home, especially when they could no longer escape to their backyard.

Damon knew he could have easily apologized to her but in his heart, knew that he was right. She needed to give up on everyone else, just like they had with her so many times. And this was the thought that bothered him because so many times he'd been one of the ones who hadn't cared.

He'd been so caught up in his own personal agenda of making Elena realize that she loved him, instead of cultivating a love that had slowly grown in him. Yet his pride had wanted him to continue his quest for Elena's love, especially when he had been so fucking close. At the time he didn't want to look finicky or like an ass, throwing the girl he'd claimed to love aside, after years perusing her, to go after her best friend.

So when Elena had claimed to love him, he'd pushed his feelings for the witch aside and had begrudgingly watched her pursue that horrid relationship with Baby Gilbert. A boy who was so undeserving of her love and just all around immature and annoying.

Really he had no one to blame but himself.

Yet he was most definitely not going to apologize for this one.

He woke and made his way into the bathroom, took a quick shower before he made his way down to the kitchen and stopped when he saw her sitting at the table. She sipped her tea and nodded towards his mug.

Damon studied her as he made his way to the table and sat across from her.

"Thanks," he offered.

A sniffle.

That tiny little sound almost broke him, yet he didn't say anything else and sipped his coffee.

His eyes cut to the window, trying to concentrate on the sound of the thunder, the drops of rain sliding down the window pane and the taste of his coffee. Anything but the sound of the girl across from him sniffling.

"I'm sorry," were the words he barely heard.

He shook his head as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Damon, I said I was sorry."

"And I heard you Bennett."

Damon drank his coffee in silence and when he finished, he set his mug in the sink.

She quickly stood to her feet and clutched his wrist. "Don't be like this."

"Like what?" he asked voice full of anger. "Selfish?"

Bonnie shook her head and he finally turned to face her. Her eyes and nose equally red and cheeks damp with tears. "I shouldn't have said that."

He pulled from her hold. "But you did. And I'm sure you meant every word you said. So don't apologize for being honest just because you hurt my feelings."

Damon turned, ready to make his way up to his bedroom but stopped when he felt her tiny arms circle his waist. She rested her head between his shoulder blades, dampening his shirt with her sadness.

"You're right," she confessed. "If there's any time I need to stop worrying about everyone else and focus on myself, it's now. And…"

He waited. He wasn't going to help her with this. She needed to figure out why she should come first. Why they were here together. And why they were caught in this moment together.

"And… I love you."

That had not been what he had expected her to say.

Immediately he pulled away, turning to face her, furious. "Don't play with my emotions!"

Shocked by his outburst, she backed away, wiping away her tears. "Why would you think I'd do such a thing?"

"Because you can't love me!"

Bonnie shook her head, confused. "Why?" She looked into his eyes. "Why can't I love you?"

He stared at her, outraged. "Because good girls like you aren't allowed to fall in love with monsters like me."

"Stop." Damon grimaced from the shrill tone of her voice. "You're trying to make up reasons why I can't love you. Of why you aren't capable of being loved because you're so used to fighting someone else, namely your brother, over some stupid doppelganger." She grabbed his forearms. "But your brother isn't here. I don't love him. I don't have a doppelganger. I'm just a stupid dead witch who's in love with an even dumber dead vampire."

He laughed.

Why did this pretty witch always surprise him?

He wrapped an arm around her waist and stroked her face with the other hand.

"Don't say it back," she told him.

"Even if it's what I feel?"

She nodded. "Yeah." She pulled herself closer to him. "I don't want to hear it right now. I just want to relish in the bliss of loving you and knowing that you finally know." She laughed. "Hell, the fact that I finally know."

Damon kissed her forehead. "Fine, I won't tell you just yet."

"Make it perfect when you do?"

"I will."

* * *

In the coming days, he wanted to tell her.

He wanted her to know that he had realized how hard he'd fallen for her when they were on the island still. But fucking Elena drama had been at the forefront of their minds when they'd landed back in Mystic Falls. Her brother was dead, she was grief stricken and then he'd been stupid enough to tell her to flip off her humanity.

And all during this Bonnie, the girl that he secretly loved in his heart of hearts was silently going through her own crisis. Losing her identity and drowning in power but no one had been privy of this until it had been too late because yet again, Elena had always come first with everyone.

When he had still been a living rosy cheeked teen, he would sneak into the kitchen of their house, where their cook could always be found. The slave woman Lillian had practically raised him and Stefan after their mother had passed and Damon had loved her as fiercely as he had his own mom. While Giuseppe had taught him the hard lessons of life, Lillian had taught him about love and matters of the heart.

Many hours had been spent helping her with supper, whenever his father wasn't around to tell him how disgraceful it was to have a son, in manhood, spend so much time with a mammy. She'd taught him that love should be easy. Something that grew in a little part of your heart, yet never completely consumed it and never died.

It was a steady hum and even though you didn't always feel it or think about it, it would always be there. The type of love that took over your entire being was the dangerous kind that made you act irrationally and make dumb decisions that you'd later regret.

And it had been one day behind the slave quarters, where he was secretly teaching her daughter Mariam how to read, when he'd finally felt it.

Mariam had been born a couple years after Damon and when her mother would work in the house, his own mom allowed the girl inside the parlor to play with him. He'd hated the girl at first, when his Mother's guests would come and fuss over the pretty little mulatto girl, taking away all of the attention from himself. But over the years he did grow accustomed to her constantly being underfoot and had taken her under wing, when he realized that she only wanted to be his friend and make him happy.

Of course his father had seen what was developing between the two before he'd even realized it. Giuseppe tried his best to keep her busy with house work and Damon with his studies and helping around the plantation. Yet when the two could sneak away, he'd bring along one of Stefan's old books and try as much as he could to get her to comprehend the words. And before he was shipped off to war, she was able to make her way through three books on her own.

Yet when Damon had returned home from war early, not giving a damn how Giuseppe felt, he was surprised at how his father had taken everything in stride. That was until he'd gone down to the kitchen the next morning, only to find Lillian replaced, finding out from Elizabeth that she and Mariam had been sold away.

So now, even though he knew he had all of forever to tell Bonnie that he loved her, he really didn't want to waste any time.

While he and Bonnie had been making their way to the house after their first kiss, he'd pondered his talk with Lillian and had finally fully accepted that his love for Katherine and Elena had been that wrong kind of love, that all-consuming dangerous type that he'd been warned against. And every morning, as he listened to Bonnie sing in the shower, he felt that spot in his heart grow.

That spot he knew that had never fully gone away while he was with Elena. That spot that had helped him make the decision to stay behind with her and comfort her in double death.

Every morning that he woke, with her in his arms seemed like the perfect time to confess his feelings for her, yet she'd see it in his eyes, shake her head and slink into the bathroom.

And then there was the sex issue.

He didn't push it, knowing that it would happen when it happened. Again, they had all of forever to enjoy one another for the first time and he really wanted to make that first time memorable. The bed in the backyard would have been perfect… if it ever decided to stop raining. Nonstop for weeks they'd had this downpour, only going out to quickly dash into the garden for some fresh ingredients for meals.

Yet Bonnie herself was the one who'd make sure they cuddled extra tight, a leg draped across his waist, panties and bra forgotten, every night that they shared a bed.

Now as Damon tried to lay back in her bed and enjoy the sound of the water running in the shower, he couldn't, because soon the little temptress was humming a tune. He stood to his feet and made his way into the bathroom.

_"In the thunder and rain_

_You stare into my eyes_

_I can feel your hand_

_Movin up my thighs_

_Skirt around my waist_

_Wall against my face_

_I can feel your lips"_

At this moment, he watched her tiny fingers pull back the glass to the shower stall. Their eyes met and as she lathered her body and he quickly undressed, she continued

_"I don't wanna stop just because_

_People walkin by are watchin us_

_I don't give a damn what they think_

_I want you now_

_I don't wanna stop just because_

_You feel so good inside of my love_

_I'm not gonna stop no no no_

_I want you_

_All I wanna say is_

_Any time_

_And any place_

_I don't care who's around"_

Too much skin… and he needed his pressed against it soon.

Bonnie stepped aside, allowing him access to the shower, which he quickly entered.

"Good morning," she greeted with a smile and a kiss.

His fingers were immediately on her hips as he kissed her neck. "Indeed it is."

Bonnie ignored his hands and lips as she lathered the natural sponge and began to wash it across his back. His hands wrapped around her, pulling her close, his legs slipping in the space between hers. He pressed his length against her inner thigh, while one hand reached between them.

Damon kissed her chin, as he allowed his thumb to strum against her clit. When her knees began to grow weak, his grasp on her waist tightened. The feel of her slick skin against his own was almost too much. Her fingers lost their grasp on the sponge and it fell to the shower floor, as he backed her into one of the corners.

He brought the hand that was wedged between them to his mouth and used his teeth to pull his useless daylight ring off his finger. Bonnie took it from him and slipped it onto her thumb, before draping her arms around his neck as he snaked his hand back to her core and slipped two fingers inside of her, while continuing to play with her clit with his thumb.

The sounds she made in his ear as he suckled hers were better than any song he'd heard her sing in all of their days together.

When she began to ride his hand and after making sure that she were thoroughly wet, he added another finger. In a flash she was on her toes. He lifted her off her feet, holding her in place between his body and the tiled wall.

"Damon," she moaned.

"Little Bird," was his reply.

Bonnie's lips finally connected to his, in a long searing kiss that held every ounce of magic in her body. He instantly felt the upsurge of power, as did she, causing them both to come apart at the same time.

* * *

It took them a few minutes to catch their breath.

Bonnie stood, fidgeting with his ring that now rested on her left thumb, not meeting his eyes and making the whole encounter awkward. He wrapped an arm around her neck, pulling her to him and kissed her temple.

"Stop thinking so hard," was the reassurance he gave. Her arms looped around his trim hips and she rested her head against his chest. He could feel her smile. "That was amazing."

She nodded. "Did you feel it?"

Usually a crass remark would have answered that question but he knew she needed honesty in this moment. "Yeah, I felt it. That was…"

"Strange," she finished.

He kissed her lips. "A nice strange."

They went back to their actual shower, bathing one another with soap, smiles and laughter.

"So you really listened to me sing? Every morning?"

He rolled his eyes. "How many times are you going to ask me this?"

She laughed. "Until it sinks into my head that Damon the Former Vampire With the Worst Luck—"

"The Man With the Best Luck Ever," he corrected.

"Fine." She smiled. "It's hard to believe that Damon the Man With the Best Luck Ever Salvatore, listened to me sing every morning in the shower."

His lips found her collar bone. "If it's any consolation, it was hardly bearable."

She turned her back to him as she rinsed the front of her body. "I don't hear you singing any sweet songs in my ear."

_"I get all, numb_

_When she sings it's over_

_Such a strange numb_

_And it brings my knees to the earth_

_And God bless you all_

_For the song you saved us_

_You're the same, numb_

_When you sing it's over_

_Such a strange numb_

_It could bring back peace to the earth_

_So God bless you all_

_For the song you saved us_

_For the hearts you break, every time you moan"_

She looked over her shoulder at him, a broad smile on her face and soon his hands were all over her again.


	6. Home

**Home (or Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?)**

It hasn't stopped raining.

Normally this wouldn't be something that would bother the Man with the Best Luck Ever but he really wants to spend some time with Bonnie in the backyard. He tries to remind himself that they have forever, yet for some reason he feels rushed. He feels as though he needs to tell her everything that he feels for her, every thought that he's had in all his existence, along with every dream.

Instead he pouts over breakfast one morning about wanting to play outside. She gives him that beautiful smile and reminds him of the gate that they haven't visited in some time.

After they've eaten, she grabs his hand and pulls him out the back door. They race across the yard and when they reach the gate, she doesn't hesitate in pulling it open.

Except what's on the other side surprises them both.

It's their backyard. Being pummeled with rain. Both of their eyes scan the space for any differences but there aren't any. She clutches his hand as the make their way across the path and to the porch. When they open the back door, it's the same.

It's the exact same as the home that they've gotten to know, with absolutely no changes. Eerily enough, the same dishes from breakfast are waiting in the sink.

"Maybe we should try the front door?" she tries to reason.

Damon eyes her carefully. "What were you thinking about when you opened the door?"

Her face flushes. "Skinny dipping in Bora Bora."

He nods, having wanted to laugh but not able to genuinely do so. "Since we never did that first time?"

"Yeah," she replies, releasing his hand and walking to the front door. Damon watches as she presses her nose to the glass, cupping her hands around her face, to stare out into the front. "Maybe this place is on the fritz."

He scoffs. "I'm sure these afterlifes didn't have nearly as many problems until you took over as Anchor."

When she smiles, he's glad that she took his statement for the joke that it was. "If you have a complaint you can take it up with management and I'm almost positive she'll tell you to fuck off."

If they weren't in this current predicament, he would have pulled her close and kissed her stupid but he's a little too worried for that. Yet Bonnie's spirits are still high and she drags him to her bedroom.

They tumble onto the bed in a jumble of limbs, fingers and lips. The rain outside picks up and claps of thunder shake the house, yet his senses are consumed with her. Her moans fill his ears. Her skin feels too soft under his fingertips. And she smells amazing.

His fingers skim her torso, bringing her tank top up along with them, exposing more of that brown skin he can't seem to get enough of. Damon's lips kiss a trail from her navel to the valley between her breasts, his hands now occupied with helping her shed her shorter than sin shorts.

When she's completely nude beneath him, she admits, "You are wearing far too many clothes," before she bites her bottom lip and helps him rectify this.

They break their kiss long enough to yank off his shirt. Eager little hands undo the drawstring in his pajama pants and assists with pulling them past his hips.

Damon knows he should take his time. He wants to take his time, yet again he gets that feeling of urgency. His pants have barely hit the floor, when she's spreading herself wide before him and he's sinking into her warmth.

She does that amazing thing, where she bites her lip and her eyes squeeze shut as her breathes grow deeper. He cradles her face, urging her to open her eyes and when she does, he finishes his journey, completely filling her.

Her slender arms wrap around his neck, pulling him as close as she can to her. He rests his head in the croak of her neck, kissing her jaw as he began to move within her. After a minute, when she's comfortable with his girth and length inside of her, she joins him until they find an agreeable pace.

Neither is aware of the wind and rain outside picking up, nor the violent lightning and thunder which is striking more often. Too content are they to worry about anything but themselves and one another, in this moment.

When they reach their peak, it's almost as violent as the storm. It starts in the pit of their stomach and travels to the tops of their heads to the tips of their toes. It takes Damon a moment to compose himself. He's never felt magic like this, so strongly and within himself.

Bonnie looks content beneath him, arms stretching above her head as she practically purrs. Her tiny hands rest on his lower abdomen and she gently pushes him away.

It feels almost as good pulling out of her body as it did filling her.

Damon rolls onto his side and their hands find each other, fingers meshing as they continue to catch their breathes, gain their wits and wait for that lethargia to leave them.

It doesn't and Damon would be perfectly fine with never leaving this woman or bed ever again. Yet now the rain is so loud that it's interrupting the nothingness in his mind, so he stands to his feet and pulls on his pants.

"You okay?" she asks, a sense of worry in her voice that makes him want to wrap his arms around her in reassurance.

Instead he nods. "Baby, I couldn't be any better." He squeezes her thigh, right above her knee. "This storm has just got me a little on edge."

Her brows furrow. "It has gotten quite aggressive, hasn't it?"

Damon watches as she stands to her feet, makes a toga from the bed sheet and heads out of the room.

"Why cover yourself? The only person who's going to see you is me." He admits as he follows her to the front door.

She laughs. "I don't want you to get bored of me."

They stand side by side, in front of the door watching the sky drown their realm. His left arm snakes around her waist, as he opens the door with his right. They step onto the porch, the rain soaking them almost immediately but feels so refreshing against their flushed skin.

"This isn't right," she murmurs and fuck if he doesn't agree but before he can, something happens.

There's a flash of lightning, too big and bright to be natural, yet it's when that light began to travel, consuming everything around it and heading towards them, is when he figures out what is going on. The thunder finally claps and the ground shakes, yet it doesn't stop.

"Are we… are we dying again?" she asks.

He wants to tell her no but as that light continues to make its way towards them, he can't bring himself to lie.

"I don't know."

Again their hands search for one another and when they connect, they do that thing that they naturally do now.

The light grows closer and the ground shakes harder. Soon it's to the road in front of their little slice of paradise. As it reaches the porch, he tugs on her hand to get her attention.

She looks to him and he almost can't make out her face, but he speaks

"I love—"

* * *

The light dies away and Bonnie takes in her surroundings.

Mystic Falls Cemetery.

She would have expected a little more… well if she's completely honest, a little less, from the fall of the other side. She feels the warmth of Damon's hand, tightly clasped around her own and she's glad that, even though they're dead, she at least has him.

Though he wouldn't have been her first choice.

Yet everything feels the same, yet slightly different.

She knows she's no longer the Anchor but she still feels magic within her and without blinking she knows her powers are back.

There's also this weird since of comfort that she's getting from holding Damon's hand, which oddly feels as though it were made to fit her own and also as if she had been holding it forever. It makes her feel ass though everything will be okay, where ever they are.

Which is oddly, once again Mystic Falls Cemetery, where everything had ended for the pair. Except it much much colder and there's snow on the ground.

"So this is what happens when the other side falls?" he asks. "We end up in a different reality of the same shit hole town." A scoff. "I was secretly hoping for something a lot more tropical and nuder."

"You're disgusting," she claims, never letting go of the disgusting man's hand.

A gust of wind weaves its way between the trees and feels like a cold slap across her face. A chill races through her and it's in this moment Damon let's go of her hand. The panic that washes over her is almost debilitating but he shrugs off his jacket and helps her into it, briskly stroking her arms once she's snugly encased inside of it.

"Thank you."

Damon only nods as he looks around the cemetery, observing their surroundings. "Let's head to the boarding house, before your core temperature drops anymore."

"Is there still a boarding house?" She asks.

He rolls his eyes. "I don't know, Bonnie but there is a way to find out." He turns his back towards her. "Hop on. We'll vamp over through the woods and be there in a few minutes."

She hesitantly wraps her arms around his neck, yet pauses when she thinks about being in such close proximity to him.

"I assure you I'm not too thrilled at becoming your personal broom, Sabrina but you need to hurry it up."

Bonnie hops onto his back and his hands are on her thighs and why is she having such unladylike thoughts about her beat friend's boyfriend, especially considering she has her own.

"It's going to get a little chilly," he states before speeding off towards his home.

In just five minutes they're walking into the boarding house. Bonnie immediately heads to the fireplace, mutters the incantation and a fire is roaring, filling the room with heat that her body was now lacking.

She plopped down onto the couch, wrapping Damon's jacket around her tighter, as he roams through the home, shouting out his brother's name. Bonnie's checking her cell phone to see if it actually works (it doesn't), when Damon returns.

"No Stefan."

"Obviously."

He unstops the decanter and pours two fingers of whiskey into two tumblers. She watches him as he leaves the room, wanting to tell him she rarely drinks the dark liquor but he's being so nice and it'd be like discouraging a child from sharing.

When he returns, he has a jar of honey and uses the wand to deposit a dollop of the sticky natural sweet into one of the glasses. He closes the lid, grabs the two tumbler and heads towards her.

"Sorry we don't have any lemon," he nonchalantly apologizes, as if everyone knows that's how she drinks her whiskey.

She takes a sip and it's just as delicious without the fruit. "Thank you."

The pair sit in silence, in front of the fire, feeling out of sorts yet content with one another's company. Her hand seeks out his and he grabs it without a glance her way, brushing his thumb across her knuckles as he sips his drink.

"So do you think we're extra dead or… nothing really happened?"

She shakes her head. "I'm not sure."

When Liz Forbes enters the house a half hour later, they receive some answers.

Apparently eight months had passed while they were in a suspended state of being. They had ceased to exist, while everyone else had moved on or away in Stefan's case.

Liz called Caroline and after a ten minute conversation, announced that the gang would be on their way soon.

She filled them in on what had been happening in the town while they were away and finally around midnight, they heard the front door open.

Tyler, Caroline and Elena entered the room, all of their mouths falling open in shock.

"So, what's new?" Damon asked with a grin and a raise of the glass.


End file.
